


"Please pick up."

by Blackparade



Series: A Light Is Waiting To Carry You Home [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Christmas Time, F/M, Fluff, I'm RAMBLING, M/M, Named Patches, Stucky raising their son together, That I am once again too lazy to find a link to, based off a tumblr post, companion fic, they have a kitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:01:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5379476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackparade/pseuds/Blackparade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Frantically, he pulls up the local news stations app, and immediately sees an article posted regarding the accident, and all but chokes out a cry when he reads that it was indeed an SUV that was overturned.</p><p>"Calm down, Bucky. There are plenty of SUV owners in town, just call your husband."</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Please pick up."

**Author's Note:**

> I set this in the same verse as my fic, "Who Is That?". These works are not dependent on one another and can be read alone, but please check out "Who Is That" if you so desire! :)

It's been almost four hours.

This isn't the first time that Steve's been gone this long, certainly, but it's absolutely not like him to be gone this long without calling.

He had left earlier to meet Sam and a few other deputies for their Christmas party planning, taking Eli with him, and giving Bucky a kiss before wrapping him back up in the covers and allowing him to continue sleeping.

There wasn't almost ten inches of snow covering the ground and a flurry of snowflakes flying blindingly through the air at seven this morning, however.

Steve is reckless sometimes, but never stupid, especially in regards to their son. Bucky trusts that he is just being cautious, taking his time driving the snow-covered roads.

Eventually, he decides that sitting at the kitchen table and staring out into the blinding white beyond the front yard hoping to catch a glimpse of their black SUV pulling into the driveway may actually be driving him insane. So he scoops up their small calico kitten, and seeks asylum under a layer of blankets on the living room couch, finishing up a few patient reports on his laptop, and absentmindedly turning on the radio.

Patches is content for all of five minutes before she begins to claw her way up Bucky's front, eventually finding purchase on his shoulder and staying there, swatting at a loose strand of hair that had fallen from his bun.

Sighing at the small animal, Bucky sits his laptop on the coffee table, allowing the music to continue playing, before grabbing his phone, and frowning once again as he finds no new messages.

Pulling up the Christmas list he has saved on his phone, Bucky smiles as he realizes that he has almost everyone's shopping finished.

Eli had been priority number one. He and Steve had wanted to make the boy's first Christmas in their new home his best ever, as he had been so incredibly angelic throughout the process of changing schools and settling into the area.

$700 didn't seem too incredibly unreasonable to spend, right?

Next, they got Natalia, Clint, Sam, and Sharon out of the way, opting for the cliche gift card and bottle of wine.

Much to her parents' horror, Kate was thrilled to receive a nerf bow and arrow set, and almost immediately nearly blinded her father, causing Steve and Bucky to make a hasty retreat before Natalia could skin them alive.

Steve, in a classic moment of nobility, also sent a bottle of Chardonnay to Peggy and Angie.

Contrary to popular belief, Bucky absolutely adores Steve's ex, and her current girlfriend is quite the character, so that doesn't hurt.

Needless to say, Brock "Douchebag" Rumlow didn't receive anything from him. It would probably be difficult to send your abusive ex-boyfriend Christmas gifts behind bars anyways.

Steve, unsurprisingly, is the only one he has left to buy for. Call him a hopeless romantic, but he wants his husband's first Christmas here to be immeasurably special as well. From their first date, to moving in together, to Steve's proposal, their wedding and honeymoon, adopting Eli; you name it, Steve's been his rock. He just wants to do something to truly knock the man flat on his back in gratitude and adoration.

Bucky groans dramatically as yet another rendition of Santa Baby begins playing on the radio, causing Patches to stir, but stay perched on his shoulder nonetheless.

Reaching down carefully as not to receive tiny daggers in his skin, he changes to a local station, thankfully still playing the Top 40.

He snaps a picture to Nat and Clint of the tiny creature sleeping next to his cheek, and laughs out loud when Nat sends back a picture of Clint locked in a makeshift jail in their living room, Kate standing watch with her new bow and arrow.

He screenshots that one, needing to revel in this victory with his husband once he returns.

Speaking of, it's now eleven, meaning Steve and Eli have been gone for four full hours, and Bucky feels his nerves start to bite at him.

"Let me call him."

He's not sure if the statement was directed to the small kitten on his shoulder, or to calm his own unsteadiness, but he begins dialing the number regardless.

It rings, and rings, and rings, and rings.

"Dammit."

Trying to fight the trembling in his hands, he tries the number again, and still receives no answer.

He sits his phone on the table, and scoops the cat up to cradle to his chest as he begins to pace the living room.

"Don't worry, Patches. I'm sure he's just not answering because he's driving. He knows better than to answer the phone with our son in the car."

This would all be so much less stressful if the cat wasn't giving him a look as to say, 'I'm not the one who's worried, dumbass.'

Bucky stops burning holes in the carpet with his back and forth pacing long enough to take a few deep breaths, before sitting down in front of the Christmas Tree, and resting the kitten in his lap.

He occupies himself with feathering the branches and rehanging the ornaments to his liking, even though Patches will more than likely knock them all down long before Christmas morning ever arrives.

'Merry Christmas Daddy and Papa!'

The small picture of his happy little family is neatly tucked inside of a snow globe ornament, and it's enough to make Bucky feel warm and serene for just a moment.

Then, a voice breaks through on the radio, immediately grabbing his attention.

"I've got Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez coming up next, but first I've got an accident report. Downtown, Azzano Drive, we've got an overturned vehicle. Police are rerouting traffic all the way up to Chester Street."

Fuck. The police station sits on Azzano. It's also where Bucky's husband and son ventured off into the snowstorm to reach this morning.

This time, he does receive claw wounds as he shoots up and once again grabs his phone from the coffee table.

Frantically, he pulls up the local news stations app, and immediately sees an article posted regarding the accident, and all but chokes out a cry when he reads that it was indeed an SUV that was overturned.

"Calm down, Bucky. There are plenty of SUV owners in town, just call your husband."

He takes his own advice, miraculously fighting the violent trembling encasing his entire body to call his husband.

No answer.

He tries again.

"Please pick up, please pick up."

And yet again, no answer.

"Shit! Steve, where are you!?"

Helplessly, he dials the man's number once more.

His heart nearly falls to the floor as he hears a faint buzz coming from the kitchen, realizing Steve's phone had been left behind in his rush this morning.

Sam. Sam will know what's going on. After several errors dialing the number, and a slew of curses, he finally calms as the phone begins ringing again.

"Hey, man. What's up?"

"Sam, are my husband and son with you?"

Bucky holds his breath for what feels like an eternity, when finally....

"No, they're not. We left the station about an hour ago. I took Sharon out for breakfast. They were supposed to be heading home. Did they not make it?"

His eyes betray him, as he feels tears stinging to break free and fall, and his voice also breaks faith, as even he himself notices the wobble as he begins to answer his friend.

"No they didn't, and there's apparently an SUV overturned downtown and Steve's damn phone is sitting in the kitchen."

"Fuck, okay. Thor is at the station now, I'll call him and see if he knows what's up. Give me two seconds, Bucky."

With that, Sam hangs up, leaving Bucky to his own despair, absolutely drowning in helplessness in the center of the room.

Not pleased with standing around completely clueless, and just needing to know, needing to see that Steve and Eli are safe, he runs upstairs to his bedroom, grabbing his coat.

He'll run next door. Lance and Bobbi are saints, and will be more than willing to drive him downtown to survey the crash for his own sanity's sake.

The sound of the front door being opened and closed and small footsteps running through to the kitchen catch his attention, and his few stray tears turn into almost relieved sobbing as he hears his name echoed in a familiar baritone.

Throwing the door to the bedroom open, he sprints down the stairs and into the living room, not stopping until he's got his arms wrapped around his husband.

Steve stands in shock for a few seconds, before holding Bucky tight to his chest, rubbing circles in his back and shushing him, even though he's absolutely clueless as to the cause of his husband's breakdown. God, Bucky loves this man.

"Buck, what's wrong!? Why are you crying?"

He tries to gather in his wild emotions, wiping furiously at his eyes, but finds the actions futile, as he once again repeats the process as Eli comes running up to him, and jumping into his arms as Bucky falls to his knees to greet him.

"Papa, what did you do to make daddy cry?"

Bucky lets a wet laugh and wide grin escape him, clutching his son ever tighter to his chest, and continues to smile wildly as Steve falls to sit next to them, pulling them both into a warm embrace.

"You wanna answer him, babe?"

Bucky nods at his husband, who has already began wiping away his tears. Eli joins Steve in the process, and Bucky feels the last of his nerves melt away as an enveloping warmth and safety settles in around them.

"God, I'm sorry, little man. Your papa didn't make me cry. There was an accident report on the radio and I got a little worried is all."

Steve feels the wind knocked out of him, and makes a loud exhale in correspondence, before gently pulling Bucky to rest against his chest with Eli wrapped in his arms.

"Christ, Buck. I'm so sorry. We stopped over to see Phil and Melinda. They had some old trading cards for Eli. I must have lost track of time. I would have called if I hadn't been an idiot and left my phone behind this morning...."

Bucky shuts him up by placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"It's okay. You guys are here. Everything's okay."

Eli makes a halfhearted attempt to struggle before giving in and allowing Bucky to place a kiss to his forehead.

Bucky pulls his son back into an embrace once again, and leans his body into Steve's chest, as his husband places a soft kiss into his hair and then wraps both he and their son in his arms. They stay that way, just enjoying the serenity of being huddled together, when a small blob of fur claws her way up Eli's shirt, before deciding to rest on Steve's shoulder this time.

"See Patches, I told you not to worry."


End file.
